Exciting news – Rug challenge results
First of all I can’t tell you how much I appreciate your votes on the Dash and Albert rug design challenge. It’s over, so I’m no longer asking for votes.
The big news is…. we won!!!!
Yes ‘WE’ won! It’s your design too. You are the ones who made it happen. You are the ones who shared it on FB and voted and asked your friends to vote.
Here’s what you may not know. When the contest first began a few days in, we were in 23rd place out of 40 designs. To win, we needed to be in the top 10. At first I tried to ask for more votes, and they came in a few here and a few there. We were about 600 votes behind where we needed to be and we gained votes about 30 a day. The top rugs were getting many more votes every day, I could see it wasn’t looking good. I even told my husband that I couldn’t see how we would be able to make the top 10. I told him, I didn’t see how we would get 1,000 votes. (In the end we got over 2,000!) I was very sad, feeling sorry for myself. (That’s never good.) I was sooooo close to a dream come true. A part of me gave up. I didn’t tell you just how far behind we were, because it was pretty depressing. Of course for anyone who wanted to know, you could just go count the votes yourself.
When I asked for votes, I heard from a lot of people that they did not even have an Instagram account. I started doing videos on Facebook and Instagram. I asked blogger friends to help me get the word out. I asked you to share it on Facebook. Guess what? A few people said no, but overwhelmingly people said yes! At least one person opened an Instagram account just so she could vote for me. She was going to close it later.
Slowly our rank climbed from 23 to 22, 21, then 20th place that first day I began to focus all my attention on the rug challenge. The next day, we moved up even more. That happened every day. As the top designers saw how fast our numbers were growing, they too began to campaign intensely for votes. And there were some fabulous designs in the top 10, designed by very talented bloggers. I wasn’t competing against people who didn’t care. They all wanted this.
Check out the latest podcast episode
EPISODE 76 WHAT’S WITH THE TINY HOUSES
By July 17 we moved into 8th place, but we still had 3 days to do. Let me tell you what I learned from this competition. I watched everyone very closely. I had to because I was so far behind. Most of the people in the top ten worked very hard. It was no accident that they won. They worked for it. It was not a fluke; they were not just ‘lucky’. Sure they are talented, but so are a lot of people The winners worked and worked and worked. As Edison said, it was ‘10% inspiration and 90% perspiration.’
If you want to see all of the winners, they were announced on Apartment Therapy, HERE. I want to congratulate all of the winners!!! As part of my strategy I just focused on promoting just one of my designs. I would rather have one in the top 10, have all three in the top 15, but not in the top ten. In the end Annie Selke chose 2 additional designs.
I was at the Haven Blogging Conference from Thursday to Saturday last week. I found out we won while I was there Thursday night. I was able to congratulate Melissa (The Inspired Room) and Layla (Lettered Cottage) in person. The bad part about the competition was competing against people you like and admire which was definitely the case with the rug challenge.
Many people have asked what happens now. I’ll be doing a post each month giving you a behind the scenes look into the process of getting the design made into a rug. I mean it when I say I could not have done this without you. It was definitely #teamcedar.
CONGRATULATIONS!!!!
I opened an instagram account also, now I have a 160 + followers and don’t even know how to post ! Concratualtions!
Tammy, that is so hilarious!!! You are a celebrity and you just don’t know it!! Thank you.
Tammy, that is so hilarious!!! You are a celebrity and you just don’t know it!! Thank you.
Yay! So happy for you…
I did not open an Instagram account, I am lucky and happy to be able to use this IPad, but I did enlist children and grandchildren to vote. So congratulations!
And I love the rug!
Ha Chris, that works! You are so kind. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.
Ha Chris, that works! You are so kind. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.
Ha Chris, that works! You are so kind. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.
Thanks for sharing this inspriational journey. Great job and beautiful rug!
The power of FB. Dog rescue groups and charities such as Corgi Aid know it well! Many dollars have been raised by calling upon friends. ( Not to discount your pretty design in any way.)❤️
I agree Terri! It was more about getting the word out then the designs really. So I’m glad I have friends like you willing to help me.
I voted and happy to hear you won! Your hard work and persistence paid off! Blessings…..
WooHoo! Big Congratulations.I too opened an Instagram acct so I could vote, now I don’t know what to do with it.hahaha.I am just so thrilled for you and you certainly deserve it. You picked my favorite design and I am happy that I can share in your excitement. Keep up the wonderful work and your blog is certainly an inspiration to all of us. Looking forward to the new updates. Smiles from Tn.
You are the best Mariann. Thanks so much!!!
Congratulations Anita! So well deserved, and so exciteing!!
Cindy, dear friend, you are so kind. It is exciting. Thank you.
Congratulations! Your design was absolutely gorgeous! I’m so glad you won, and I look forward to seeing how you will turn your beautiful design into a stunning rug!
Yay! Congratulations Anita! I also opened an Instagram account. I’m happy it helped! So excited to share in the rest of the journey.
Where can we view the other 9 winners?
Yay Anita!!! Congratulations! I’m so happy for you and for all of us who follow you!
That is a great win. I can’t even imagine the work that went into the win. I’m glad I get to tag along and see the challenge to the end. Love Annie’s design concepts. Congratulations.
I love “our” rug…do you think they willkeep it in other colors?
I love “our” rug…do you think they will it be made in other colors?
I will ask Ellen. I don’t have any details yet.
I am so happy for you and God bless all winners
God bless all winners and especially you do love your design
YIPPEE!!!! I can’t wait to see it progress from concept to completion. Congratulations, well done.
I am so glad your rug won. It is beautiful. Just like you. I know the pressure must have been enormous – waiting and being able to watch “the race” so closely. So glad your other friends came through for you too. Can’t wait to see the real rug. So very proud of you – now and always.
Love you Peggy. You always believed in me, even when no one else did! You are a treasure.
Congratulations! That’s such exciting news.
Congratulations! It was definitely a well deserved win :). I rarely am on Instagram but your last post really inspired me to help you achieve your dream and dream my own. I did the easy part and voted. Now I need to part action to my own dream 😉
Moriah, you made my day. I am so excited to hear you are going to take some steps toward your dream.
Yesssss! You did it! And I’m so very glad because I really love that gorgeous rug and hope to be able to purchase one soon for my own home! Congratulations ???
Oh I can’t wait either Pat. Thank you.
Congratulations, Anita! Well deserved! So exciting!
I tried to vote more than once and then realized you couldn’t. Probably more than anything people didn’t know exactly how to vote. Getting more specific was good.
Bonnie, yes I realized at some point a lot of people don’t do much on Instagram.
Congratulations to you, Anita! So excited with you for the next step in this endeavor and waiting to see it come to fruition?️blessings!
Charlene, you are such a love. Thank you!
Congratulations! I loved the beige rug with the blue accents–great job–so glad that you won!!
You are such a jewel!!
Anita!!!!!!! I am so happy and thrilled for you!!!!!! All three designs were fabulous!!!!! I knew you could do this!!!!!! You are so gifted!!!! This is only the beginning!!!!!! You had so many that voted for you because we BELIEVE in you!!!!!! Cannot wait to see the finished rug!!!!!! It will look perfect in my home!!!!! Blessings!!!!! ?Roxann
Roxann, I know you have been so supportive. I am so touched by your kindness. Blessings to you dear friend.
???????
Congratulations! ! Your rug was truly a winning design !
I also do not know what to do with my newly opened Instagram account, so probably will close it. I was happy to vote for you and will do it again, should you enter another competition. Can’t wait to see what happens to your design now. It’s classic and beautiful – so much more so than some of the other “top 10”. I guess everyone’s taste should be represented, but I sure was surprised at some of them.
Pat, yes there are many different styles in the top 10. You are so kind. Thank you so much.
Congratulations! I’m one of those who opened an Instagram account so I could vote. I can’t wait to be able to purchase one of your rugs.
Mary you are super, super sweet. Thank you so much.
How exciting! Congratulations!!!! I too had to open a instagram account…. I have no idea what it’s about but maybe I’ll learn…we love you and appreciate your blog and advice!
Kathy, that’s was so, so kind of you. I am so grateful for your support.
Congratulations, Anita…so proud of you!!! Louise
You are so sweet Louise.
So so happy for you! The monogram rug is truly a unique design, and its simplicity is what won it for me.
I can’t remember ever seeing anything like it. Congratulations!
Yes it’s unique and I so appreciate your kind words Marcy.
Wooohoooo!!!!!! Congrats!!!!!
Thanks Pamela.
Congratulations! We have Dash & Albert rugs in our kitchen and I look forward to seeing the WINNER in the catalog. It would be perfect in our dining room.
Oh that sounds fabulous Terri.
Congratulations! All your designs were great! I love your taste so I knew they would be! I’m very happy for you being able to make this dream come true.
Congratulations on your beautiful rug winning. I am an Aussie who reads your blog from there and I also make yearly trips to the USA. I will be looking forward to purchasing your winning rug. Regards, Angie
Thank you so much Angie! I’m excited too.
Congratulations! When I first saw the rug post, I thought, “that’s too much trouble, my vote won’t matter anyway”. But a couple of days later I thought of how much your book helped me, and your blog has been an inspiration as I’ve changed my decorating style to French Farmhouse. I just had to vote, and I’m so glad you won! Yay!
Whew! That’s a relief! Congratulations! I only follow a handful of blogs so I definitely feel like this win is for US! YAY!!!!
Congratulations are in order!
Lesson of the story, NEVER give up!
Hard work always prevails, completion is a good thing, never change your core beliefs to win at anything in life.
Tiny Dwelling was more than happy to cast a vote! Now… PLEASE take a bit of time to relax and recharge!
Oops, I spelled competion wrong!
Anita, your designs are amazing..I voted for you right from the start and are happy with the results…well done you.
Jenny from Sydney Australia